glorify
v.v. to describe or show something as much better or more important than it really is. People often use this when someone makes a bad thing, like war or crime, look exciting or noble.
v. to represent something as admirable or more splendid than it is in reality. Often carries a critical nuance when applied to the romanticisation of violence, crime, or hardship.
The movie does not glorify war; it shows the pain it causes.
Critics argued that the documentary tended to glorify the criminal's lifestyle rather than focusing on the victims.
While the poet intended to celebrate national identity, modern historians suggest his work serves to glorify a period of colonial expansion that was actually marked by significant systemic inequality.
From Middle English glorifien, from Anglo-Norman and Old French glorifier, from Late Latin glorificō, from Latin gloria + faciō (“to make”). Displaced native Middle English wuldrien (“to glorify”), from Old English wuldrian as well as Middle English stellifien (“to glorify, make stellar”), from Old French stellifier (Medieval Latin stellificāre); see stellify.
The verb is transitive and requires a direct object.